<p> Following the 1994 uprising of the Zapatistas, an indigenous army in southern Mexico, a small community arts and education center was developed in East Los Angeles that believed another world was possible. This research seeks to examine the alternative nature and learning of the EastSide Caf&eacute;. Guided by Zapatismo, Chicana Feminism, and decolonial theory, seven EastSide Caf&eacute; members were asked to offer the details of <i>how</i> the EastSide Caf&eacute; promotes alternative learning. The findings present a simple culture of horizontality, but more importantly, a praxis of a liberated learning zone that shifts the consciousness of participants by showing that another world, another way, is possible.</p>

<p> Through the artifacts from the Jackson Appleton Middlesex Urban Revitalization and Devolvement Project (hereafter JAM) located in Lowell, MA, this research explores social class in nineteenth-century boardinghouses. This thesis is a two-part study. First, through statistical analysis, research recovers interpretable data from urban archaeological contexts subject to disturbance. Pinpointing intra-site similarities between artifacts recovered from intact and disturbed contexts, data show that artifacts recovered from disturbed and intact contexts in urban environments are not as dissimilar as previously believed. In the second phase using both intact and disturbed JAM contexts, the analysis of four boardinghouse features highlights two distinct patterns of ceramic assemblages suggesting 1) that the JAM site includes artifacts associated with Lowell's early boardinghouse period (1820-1860) in contrast to other late nineteenth century collections from Lowell like the Boott Mills and 2) that material goods amongst upper class mangers versus working class operative were more similar at Lowell's outset. Synthesizing this data with previous archaeology in Lowell, this research shows that over the course of the nineteenth century changes in the practice of corporate paternalism can be seen in the ceramic record. Furthermore, the data suggest that participation in the planned industrial project was a binding element of community interactions, blurring the lines of social class for Lowell's inhabitants in the early years of the Lowell experiment.</p>

<p> This dissertation is an arts-based research project into transformative followership &ndash; the complementary skill set to transformative leadership. The outcome of the research is a collection of stories &ndash; a fictionalized presentation of the findings. This research departs from the transactional view that most followers are cogs in the wheels of productivity who aspire to become leaders, arriving at the more recent view that followers are critical components of a transformative leadership dynamic.</p><p> Reframing followers as change agents that are effecting deep cultural transformation, it is suggested that our collective experiences generate contemporary cultural myths that are more suitably presented in a format that validates subjective experience &ndash; storytelling. The relationship between facts, fiction, and truth will be considered. Three recent social protest movements provide a context for observing transformational followers and how, or if, they can be categorized.</p><p> Acknowledging and honoring the impact of electronic media on the storytelling tradition, all of these elements &ndash; reframed followers, our collective experience, and modern-day storytelling &ndash; combine to create a new paradigm for looking at followership. Keywords: followership, change agents, storytelling </p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine the transition process as alumni of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship sought to find their place in faith communities after they graduated from university. Interview data revealed the process of finding a faith community was often intricately connected with each person's identity formation process. If the desired qualities were not found in faith communities, a selection process ensued where each graduated determined which unique set of qualities would not be compromised. These qualities were often indicative of each person determining what he or she would stand for in the world. Data reveal they were looking for an identity fit and companionship so they might keep growing. Numerous findings emerged which have educational and sociological implications for future graduates, leaders of faith communities, and other stakeholders who care about their transition process. The researcher was conducted in the Chicago area but was designed so the study might be duplicated in other cities and with other populations of twenty-somethings.</p>

<p> Human beings organize and navigate their experience of everyday life and their interactions with others through the creation, presentation, and representation of myths. This dissertation expands the definition of myth beyond stories of gods and humans to include social narratives used by groups and individuals to contextualize and define everyday situations. As such, they perform vital social functions. These include providing common narratives that have the power to bind otherwise independent beings into more or less coherent collectives capable of joint actions, as well as reducing feelings of individual isolation and existential anxiety by narratively making sense out of the violence, unpredictability, and discontinuity that accompany life. Myths are constructed narratives that masquerade as common sense; they appear to have a supernatural or supra-human basis or origin. Their created nature is collectively, and often unconsciously, denied by those who adhere to them. </p><p> This dissertation outlines an approach to mythology grounded in sociological principles as an alternative to the more familiar approaches of the humanities, religious studies, or psychology. Synthesizing principles drawn from the sociological schools of social constructionism and symbolic interactionism, this dissertation proposes that humans, as users of complex, symbolic language, necessarily experience the world through a matrix of narratives both written and unwritten. But this approach is not simply social constructionism or symbolic interactionism with a mythological gloss. Instead, it serves as a bridge between the macro view of social constructionism and the micro view of symbolic interactionism. </p><p> This dissertation treats myths not as currencies of belief, but rather as currencies of behavior and consequence. For illustration, three examples from the modern world are presented: 1) How same-sex inclusion challenges traditionalist myths of marriage; 2) How myths of divine providence and expansionism have influenced American domestic and foreign policy from the nation's inception to the present; and 3) The role that the propagandizing of engrained cultural myths and stereotypes played during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Ethical and moral implications of human-constructed myths are also considered.</p>

<p> In this paper I will present an introduction to the life and work of Bill T. Jones. I will then discuss the process and performance of the dance piece Still/Here. I will consider the controversy around Arlene Croce's response to Still/Here claiming it was "victim art". I will set up the theoretical framework of white supremacist and imperialistic cultures to illustrate how through that lens, Arlene Croce's article reflects white supremacist values. </p>

<p> This exploratory study examined the relationship between communities of practice and professional identity. The purpose of the study was to quantitatively examine the extent to which there were relationships between Wenger's dimensions of community of practice (domain, community, and practice) and professional identity among veterinarians. This was accomplished by conducting a survey study using correlation analysis. The research question was as follows: To what extent are there relationships between Wenger's dimensions of community of practice (domain, community, and practice) and professional identity among veterinarians? </p><p> A combined survey consisting of items from the Community of Practice Measure and the Professional Identity Survey was used to collect data. Snowball sampling techniques were used to recruit 125 veterinarians to participate in the study. To explore the research question, three sets of null and alternative hypotheses were developed and tested. Overall, the results showed that the dimensions of communities of practice had positive statistically significant relationships with the professional identity. Domain, community and practice all had moderate to low positive relationships with professional identity. </p><p> The significance of this study is that it expanded Brown's (1997; 2007) conceptual framework of professional identity development. It also contributed to the body of knowledge on social science research conducted on veterinarians. Finally, it offered quantitative findings to the existing literature on communities of practice and professional identity&mdash;that is, as domain, community, and practice are enhanced, so is professional identity.</p>

<p> Abusive relationships often minimize and devalue women's identities on a regular basis, leaving them with a diminished self-concept. As a result, domestic violence shelters have been recognized as sites of identity repair and construction, as well as an emergency refuge for women and their children. However, shelters are microcosms of the larger society, and the inequality and bureaucracy that exist in society are often replicated in the shelter community. It is within these complex communities that shelter residents and staff construct and maintain their identities. My research takes a symbolic interactionist approach to explore identity building and maintenance within domestic violence shelters, and considers how the delicate balance between ideology and practice, in addition to inequalities that exist within the shelter environment, influence identity construction. More specifically, I consider (1) How do inequalities of sex and gender, sexuality, class, and race and ethnicity, affect identity formation? (2) How does the balance between feminist ideology and the structure of formal organizations affect identity formation? (3) How does identity construction take place within the shelter setting? Which identities are constructed, and why? How are the identities constructed by shelter staff different from those of the residents? and (4) How do women in shelters manage stigmatized identities? Using a grounded theory approach, my data was collected at a domestic violence shelter in Ohio, where I engaged in participant observation for a period of three and a half years and interviewed 31 residents and 15 staff members. I found that while domestic violence shelters are sites of identity repair, the presence of inequality and the difficult balance between feminist ideology and practice influenced identity construction not only for residents, but for staff members as well. However, the type of interactions that occurred largely influenced the identities that were constructed; as a result, staff and residents' identities varied significantly, both in their construction and their maintenance.</p>

<p> Previous literature has found that individuals who are highly identified with their own ingroup and who perceive an outgroup as being more cohesive (viz., high in entitativity) will exhibit greater levels of vicarious retribution. Further studies have shown that an individual who perceives the outgroup as having dissimilar values to their own will engage in higher levels of direct aggression. The current study was the first to investigate value dissimilarity as a moderator in the relationship between both ingroup identification and outgroup entitativity on subsequent vicarious retribution. This study used a 3 (value dissimilarity: high, low, neutral/no information) x 2 (outgroup entitativity: high, low) between subjects design. Results indicated that among participants who had a strong reaction to the provocation, low value dissimilarity significantly lowered aggression thus serving to buffer the effect of provocation on subsequent vicarious retribution. Implications for reducing intergroup violence and vicarious retribution are discussed.</p>

<p> The number of immigrants in the United States will increase by a projected 18.4 million per year. In Orange County, immigrants are the fastest growing segment with an estimated population of983,000. If immigration levels continue to increase and immigrant parents and children continue to live in poverty, then they are expected to demonstrate higher crime rates, parent-child relationship problems, child disciplinary or behavioral problems, lower academic performance, severe mental health issues, and more discrimination and prejudice. </p><p> The proposed program will provide education (for parents), counseling (for all participants), and mentorship (for adolescents, children, and transitional-aged youth). These culturally sensitive services will aim to: (a) alleviate the conflict within immigrant families, (b) mitigate the challenges and issues of acculturation and assimilation, and (c) empower positive life choices that enable them to maximize their potential. The actual submission of the proposal was not a requirement of the thesis.</p>